Fluid product dispenser

ABSTRACT

Fluid product dispenser comprising:  
     a fluid product reservoir ( 10 ) containing an actuating wall ( 11 ) that can be pressed in to reduce the volume of the reservoir,  
     a dispensing orifice ( 15 ) through which the fluid product is distributed by pressing on the actuating wall, and,  
     cladding ( 21; 22; 23; 24, 3, 4 ) around the reservoir leaving it possible to have the dispensing orifice ( 12 ) exposed, the said orifice comprising one face ( 4 ) through which the actuation wall ( 11 ) may be actuated, the said cladding comprising two side faces ( 211; 221; 231; 241 ), a bottom face ( 210; 220; 230; 240 ), a front face ( 4 ) and a back face ( 3; 224; 234 ), the side and back faces being formed by a single piece cladding body ( 21; 22; 23; 24 ), defining a housing ( 212; 222; 232; 242 ) on the inside, within which the reservoir will be fitted, characterized in that the front face ( 4 ) are added on and fixed onto the cladding body, thus closing the internal housing with the reservoir trapped inside.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of pending U.S. provisional patent application Serial No. 60/350,025, filed Jan. 23, 2002, and priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a)-(d) of French patent application No. FR-01.16551, filed Dec. 20, 2001.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This invention relates to a fluid product dispenser comprising a fluid product reservoir comprising an actuation wall that is pressed to reduce the volume of the reservoir, a dispensing orifice through which the fluid product is distributed by pressing on the actuation wall, and a cladding surrounding the reservoir leaving the possibility of having the dispensing orifice exposed, the said cladding comprising a face through which the actuation wall can be actuated.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] In particular, this type of dispenser is described in document FR-2 784 361. The dispenser described in this document comprises a dispensing assembly forming the reservoir and the dispensing orifice and a cladding that at least partially surrounds the dispensing assembly. The cladding may be made from one or several flexible bendable sheets that surround the dispensing assembly. The disadvantage with this cladding obtained by cutting and bending sheets is due to the fact that final appearance gives the impression of a paper or cardboard box, which is not always appropriate for the product to be distributed, particularly in the case of a luxury perfume.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to overcome this disadvantage of prior art by defining a different and more aesthetic type of dispenser cladding. One of the purposes is to improve the esthetics of the cladding, particularly at the junctions of the component faces of the cladding.

[0005] WO 97/46465 describes a dispenser comprising a flexible pouch and a cladding surrounding at least partially the flexible pouch. The cladding forms a shell comprised of two linked shell parts so that a shell part may be pivoted on the other shell part, thus trapping the flexible pouch between them. The cladding is integral formed by injection-molding.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide another cladding with a design modularity, so that the aspect of the cladding may be easily altered without altering deeply the cladding in its structure.

[0007] In order to achieve this purpose, this invention proposes that a fluid product dispenser comprises a fluid product reservoir containing an actuating wall that can be pressed in to reduce the volume of the reservoir, a dispensing orifice through which the fluid product is distributed by pressing on the actuating wall, and, cladding around the reservoir leaving it possible to have the dispensing orifice exposed, the said orifice comprising one face through which the actuation wall may be actuated, the said cladding comprising two side face, a bottom face, a front face and a back face, the side and back faces being formed by a single piece cladding body, defining a housing on the inside, within which the reservoir will be fitted, characterized in that the front face is added on and fixed onto the cladding body, thus closing the internal housing with the reservoir trapped inside. Thus, most of the cladding is formed by the single piece cladding body onto which the front face and/or the back face is added on or fixed, in order to close the internal housing with the reservoir, or more generally the dispensing assembly trapped inside it. The single piece cladding body may also form the front face or the back face, such that all that is necessary is to add the other face to close the internal housing on the reservoir. Thus, the front and/or the back face may advantageously be in the form of a cutout single plate. The esthetical aspect of the cladding may be altered without altering the body.

[0008] There are various possible techniques for manufacturing the single piece body, depending on the esthetic effect to be obtained. In one example, the single piece body may be made of an injected-molded plastic material by cutting out a plastic section, from an expanded or foam material, or by thermoforming a plastic material. The back or the front face may be made with the single piece body, depending on the manufacturing technique used.

[0009] According to another characteristic of the invention, the dispensing orifice is formed by an end piece installed on the reservoir, the said end piece advantageously being provided with a cap. Advantageously, the reservoir forms a neck forming a tight fit with part of the neck of the cladding.

[0010] According to another aspect of the invention, the front face forms a window through which the actuation wall can be accessed to press it in.

[0011] Advantageously, the internal housing formed by the cladding body defines an internal space in which the reservoir is inscribed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings given as a non-limitative example of an embodiment of the invention.

[0013] On the figures:

[0014]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a fluid product dispenser according to a first embodiment of the invention,

[0015]FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 for a second embodiment of this invention,

[0016]FIG. 3 is a view similar to the previous figures of a fluid product dispenser according to a third embodiment of the invention, and

[0017]FIG. 4 is a view similar to the above figures for a fourth embodiment of the invention.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0018] In the four embodiments mentioned above, the cladding may contain a reservoir 10 and a dispensing orifice 15 that can be formed by an identical dispensing assembly 1. A dispensing assembly 1 means all component elements that are combined together to enable storage and dispensing of the fluid product. The other component elements of the dispenser may for example be provided by the cladding.

[0019] In the embodiment shown on the drawings, the single dispensing assembly 1 is in the form of a receptacle or reservoir 10 defining a storage volume and a neck 12 that provides a passageway between the inside of the reservoir 10 and the outside. Furthermore, the reservoir 10 comprises at least one deformable actuation wall 11 to vary the inside volume of the reservoir when the said actuation wall is pressed. Advantageously, the actuation wall can be deformed elastically such that it returns to its original or rest position in which the reservoir defines its maximum internal volume, after each actuation. According to the invention, the dispensing assembly 1 also comprises a dispensing end piece 13 installed on the neck 12 of reservoir 10. This end piece 13 forms the dispensing orifice 15 and an attachment appendix 14, the function of which will be described later.

[0020] The reservoir 10 on this dispensing assembly 1 contains a small quantity of fluid product and gas, for example air. Therefore it is very easy to use since all that is necessary is to press in the actuation wall 11 of the reservoir 10 to discharge the fluid product and air through the dispensing orifice 15, which produces a sprayed two-phase jet.

[0021] In this case, the dispensing assembly 1 is formed starting from a reservoir on which an end piece is installed, but it would be quite possible to imagine other forms of the dispensing assembly, like that described in document FR-2 784 361 mentioned above in which the dispensing assembly is formed from an advantageously thermoformed profiled shell associated with a sealing film. The particular shape of the dispensing assembly 1 is not critical for this invention, since it is particularly applicable to the cladding that surrounds this dispensing assembly.

[0022] In the four embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the cladding comprises a single piece cladding body that defines at least the bottom face and the two side faces of the cladding. The bottom face and the side face form an internal reception recess into which the reservoir of the dispensing assembly can fit. This is the concept of this invention.

[0023] With reference to FIG. 1, the single piece cladding body 21 forms a bottom face 210 and two side faces 211 that are continued to form part of the neck 213. An internal recess 212 is thus formed in which the reservoir 10 may be placed with its neck 12 fitting tightly in part of the neck 213. The cladding also comprises a back face 3 and a front face 4 that are added onto and fixed to each side of the single piece body 21. The dispensing assembly 11, or more particularly its reservoir 10, is thus trapped inside the housing 212 enclosed by the back face 3 and the front face 4. Advantageously, the front face 4 comprises a window 41 through which the actuation wall 11 can be accessed such that it can be pressed in with a finger.

[0024] For example, the single piece body 21 may be made of plastic using an injection molding process, or an extrusion process followed by cutting into slices. Note that the single piece body 21 is in the form of a slice with uniform thickness that can easily be obtained by cutting a section made of a plastic material. The front and back faces may be made from any plate, by cutting the plate into a required esthetic profile. In this example, the front and back faces are in the form of a conventional perfume flask.

[0025] It is also possible to provide the dispensing assembly 1 with a cap that also forms part of the dispensing cladding. For example, this cap may be made using the same technique as the cladding of the reservoir 10. A body of the cap 251 can also be made on which the back and front faces 35 and 45 are fitted on each side. The cap formed in this way is a tight fit on the attachment 14 of the end piece 13, to close off the dispensing orifice 15.

[0026] In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a single piece cladding body 22 also forms a bottom face 220 and two side faces 221, and part of the neck 223. Furthermore, in this case the cladding body 22 also forms the back 224 of the cladding. Consequently, this cladding body 22 is in the form of a box forming an internal housing 222 inside which the reservoir 10 of the dispensing assembly 1 fits, always with its neck 12 tight fit in the part of the neck 223. The internal housing 222 of the single piece body 22 is closed by adding on and fixing a front face 4 that may be the same shape as in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, in other words with a window 41 enabling access to the actuation wall 11.

[0027] For example, this single piece cladding body 22 may be made using an injection molding technique. The same is true for the cap that may be composed of a single piece body 252 associated with a front face 45.

[0028] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the single piece cladding body 23 also forms a bottom face 230, two side faces 231 and part of the neck 233. The single piece body 23 also forms the back face 234. Consequently, this single piece body 23 also forms a sort of box defining an internal housing 232 inside which the reservoir 10 of the dispensing assembly 1 may be housed. Furthermore, this single piece body 23 also forms a peripheral edge 235 that projects outwards. This type of single piece body 23 may easily be made using a thermoforming technique. A front face 4, similar to the face in the previous embodiments, can be added on and easily fixed to the rim 235 of the single piece body 23, to thus close the housing 232 and keep the reservoir 10 trapped inside. A decoration plate 3 can be added on at the back as an option to the back face 234 of the single piece body 23.

[0029] The cap can be made using the same thermoforming technique, particularly concerning the body of the cap 253 that can then be used with a front face 45 and optionally a decorative rear face 35.

[0030] In the last embodiment in FIG. 4, the single piece cladding body 24 also forms the bottom face 240, the two side faces 241 and part of the neck 243. An internal reception housing 242 is also provided for the reservoir 10 of the dispensing assembly 1. In this embodiment, the single piece body 24 may be made starting from an expanded or foam material that has been cut or molded to the required shape. The rear face 3 and the front face 4 may be added on and fixed in the same way as in the first embodiment in FIG. 1. The same is true for formation of the cap.

[0031] In all the embodiments, it is advantageous that the reservoir is preferably entirely inscribed in the internal housing formed by the body, so that the front and/or rear faces may be quite or substantially plane. Shaped faces are however not excluded.

[0032] In the invention, it is possible to make a perfectly esthetic cladding from a single piece cladding body with which one or two faces are used to close the internal housing thus trapping the dispensing assembly. 

1. Fluid product dispenser comprising: a fluid product reservoir (10) containing an actuating wall (11) that can be pressed in to reduce the volume of the reservoir, a dispensing orifice (15) through which the fluid product is distributed by pressing on the actuating wall, and, cladding (21; 22; 23; 24, 3, 4) around the reservoir leaving it possible to have the dispensing orifice (12) exposed, the said orifice comprising one face (4) through which the actuation wall (11) may be actuated, the said cladding comprising two side faces (211; 221; 231; 241), a bottom face (210; 220; 230; 240), a front face (4) and a back face (3; 224; 234), the side and back faces being formed by a single piece cladding body (21; 22; 23; 24), defining a housing (212; 222; 232; 242) on the inside, within which the reservoir will be fitted, characterized in that the front face (4) is added on and fixed onto the cladding body, thus closing the internal housing with the reservoir trapped inside.
 2. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the back face (3) is added on and fixed onto the cladding body (21; 24), thus closing the internal housing with the reservoir trapped inside.
 3. Dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the front face (4) and the back face (3) are in the form of cut plates.
 4. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the cladding body (22; 23) also forms the back face (224; 234).
 5. Dispenser according to claim 4, wherein the front face (4) is in the form of a cut plate.
 6. Dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the body (21; 22) is made of an injected-molded plastic material.
 7. Dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the body (21) is made by cutting a plastic section.
 8. Dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the body (24) is made from an expanded or foam material.
 9. Dispenser according to claim 3, wherein the body (23) is made by thermoforming a plastic material.
 10. Dispenser according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the reservoir forms a neck (12) fitting tightly into part of the neck (213; 223; 233; 243) of the cladding.
 11. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the end piece (13) forms an attachment (14) fitting tightly with the cladding.
 12. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the front face (4) forms a window (41) through which the actuation wall (11) can be accessed to press it in.
 13. Dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the internal housing formed by the cladding body defines an internal space in which the reservoir is inscribed. 